Now that we can basically cart around a digital record collection in our pocket, headphone technology is getting smarter and smaller. Smart because so many of the places we listen to headphones – on a bus, during a flight, or while working at a hydroelectric plant – are seriously loud, and small because that’s how we like our technology, tiny.Tivoli Audio, which makes an assortment of retro radios compatible with everyday smart gadgets, has unveiled a good-looking addition to the world of awesome headphones, combining old-world aesthetics with new-world tech. The Radio Silenz headphones are noise cancelling, made of a wood housing (the first of its kind) and fold up for easy travel.But the most interesting feature is a handy Defeat button, which lowers the volume and temporarily kills the noise-cancelation function, just in case the guy sitting next to you asks for a quarter, the pilot announces that drinks are on the house, or an alarm sounds, warning everyone on level D to evacuate before 700 tons of water breaks through the turbines.The Radio Silenz headphones are available starting this month, and come in three different wood finishes. Learn more: http://tinyurl.com/c8s6pjc.

1. http://bit.ly/Mj2mCq – Remember how in Back to the Future Part II they go to the year 2015, and the cars are flying around and clothes self-dry? Indeed, movies are usually awful at predicting the future. Here’s how American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) thought the future would look back in 1961.2. http://tinyurl.com/79ucnys – Infographic about Facebook’s developer platform history. Kind of scary how fast things move when you’re taking over the world.3. http://tinyurl.com/cr7acqo – Invisibility cloaks may be closer to a reality than you thought. Yes, it was cool in Harry Potter, but there are so many reasons why we shouldn’t have this….4. http://tinyurl.com/cuvcur8 – Ever wanted to learn how to build a floating magnet bed? This guy did. And now you can.5. http://tinyurl.com/7maav6o – A four-minute video giving you a glimpse into the future of headlamps. Wow. We’re talking reactive lighting here, folks. erin pheil is the owner of timeforcake creative media – the Web Design company voted #1 in Best of Summit. Visit the timeforcake website at http://www.timeforcake.com or email Erin at erin@timeforcake.com.